Blasting machine



Feb. 5, 1952 R. B. HUYETT BLASTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet J.

Filed Jan. 6, 1950 5 R. 7 Eu R E M W M m Z i Feb. 5, 1952 R. B. HUYETT BLASTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 6, 1950 I N VEN TOR.

Feb. 5, 1952 R. B. HUYETT BLASTING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 6, 1950 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 5, 1952 BLASTING MACHINE Robert B. Huyett, Hagerstown, Md., assignor to Pangborn Corporation, Hagerstown, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application January 6, 1950, Serial No. 137,251

5 Claims.

This invention relates to work blasting machines and aims generally to improve the same.

In particular, it aims to provide an improved cabinet-type blasting machine for handling and treating flanged cylindrical objects to be blasted. Examples of such articles are end-flanged rear axle shafts, and the like.

In the treating of such flanged cylindrical objects, of steel, iron, wood or other relatively rigid materials, with projected treating material, considerable difiiculty is experienced in obtaining uniform treatment of the work. An important object of the present invention is to provide means for supporting, advancing and rotating such articles so as to obtain maximum uniformity in treatment thereof. Other objects are to improve the cheapness and efliciency of such blasting procedure, to provide arrangements for advancing such articles substantially longitudinally at a predetermined rate while rotating them at a predetermined rate, and to provide arrangements for so doing without obscuring the ends of the articles. Still further objects will appear from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention, including the provision of improved details of construction and arrangements of parts contributing to the attainment of various of the aforesaid objects.

The invention itself consists in the new and useful features and combinations herein described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying more or less diagrammatic drawings of exemplary embodiments of the invention: 7

Figs. 1 and 2 are side and end elevations of a blasting machine including one form of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view thereof.

' i Fig. 4 is a side elevational detail of a modified arrangement.

Fig. 5 is a section taken generally on the plane 55 of Fig. 4 in the direction of the arrows.

Figs. 6 to 8 are plan, elevation, and end views the work conveying means.

Fig. 9 is an end view of a modified form of work conveyor.

General arrangement In the illustrative form of Figs. 1 to 3 the 1944. Such machines, as indicated in Fig. 1, project the blastant material in a fan-shaped stream as diagrammatically indicated at 6. In the arrangement of Figs. 1 to 3 two such wheels '5 are employed, and these machines are preferably arranged to rotate in opposite directions in substantially the same plane, and may project their fan-shaped streams from the ends of the blasting chamber 2 toward the center thereof along the work-path extending through the blastif desired. The spent blastant collected in the pan 8 is delivered to a screw conveyor 9 which conveys the spent blastant to the foot of a blastant elevator !0, of any conventional form, a chain-bucket elevator being the form usually employed. The elevator ID, at its upper end, delivers to chute means H by which the abrasive or other blastant is returned through classifying and separating means I 2 to supply hopper means l3, from which the blastant is supplied through feed conduits I4 to the blasting means 5. Suit able valve means I 5 are interposed in the conduits l4, and such valve means are preferably interconnected as shown, and remote-controlled as by solenoid or fluid-pressure actuating means exemplified at 16.

Suitable electric motor or other driving means are provided for the various conveying and prodrive [8, for the work-handling screws hereinafter described; and the motor and belt drives IQ for the centrifugal wheels 5. Suitable ventilating arrangements 20 and access ladders and platforms 2|, 22 are also usually provided.

Work-handZing means Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3 and 6 to 8, as is there shown the work-conveying means of the preferred embodiment comprises a pair of parallel screws 25 extending lengthwise through the blasting chamber 2, in mutually spaced relation, to define a work-supporting notch between them generally aligned with the plane of the fanshaped blast streams 6 (Fig. 1). The screws 25 are supported in suitable bearings 26 at their ends (Figs. 1, 3 and 6), and as shown in Fig. 8 are rotated in the same sense so that the flanged cylindrical work-pieces 21 resting in the notch between their outer perimeters, with their flanged portions descending between their vanes, are rotated in the opposite sense.

The rate of advance of the work-pieces 21 along the screws 25 is determined by the pitch and 8 or may be spaced apart by a distance less 2 than the rolling diameter of the articles of work being rotated thereon. The screws 25 may be revolved at any practical speed dependent upon their pitch and the desired lengthwise advance of the work per unit of time.

The diameters of the flanged cylindrical objects or work-pieces 2! may be of any practical size within the limitations of the screw spacing and other physical relationships of the particular machine in which the invention is embodied. The screw spacing may be varied by suitable adjustment of the roll bearings 26, to enable a given machine to accommodate a series of small, medium or large diameters and to effect various predetermined rates of advance of the articles.

This type of conveyor may therefore be flexible .in its use for various kinds of flanged cylindrical objects.

The work-pieces may be delivered to and from the work conveyor 25 in any desired way, and

the machine is particularly flexible in this regard. Feed and delivery over the ends of the rolls through hanging rubber curtains 28 or other abrasive-trapping means is preferable when the plant layout renders straight linear handling i desirable. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a feeding platform, conveyor, or chute 29 may be provided adjacent the inlet end 3 of the machine, and

r the flanged articles 2'! may be advanced thereon or thereby until their flanges are picked up by the entranceends of the screwvanes 25, which will then draw the articles into the notch or valley and feed them therealong. Even though the articles may be fed in this manner in spaced relation so that their ends will be fully exposed to the blast stream; as they reach the discharge end of the machine following articles, being positively advanced by the screw vanes, will abut and push out of the machine and onto a ;receiving platform, chute or the like 38 those articles whose flanges have passed out of contact'with the vanes, as indicated at 21a in Fig. 1. If desired the platform 3! may be provided with a supporting ramp 3! to prevent the rear, smaller end .of an article from dropping below the flanged forward end of the following article before the leading article 21a has been advanced to such extent that it will tilt over the forward end of the platform and be delivered to take-away means such as the tote-box 32, for example. As shown in Fig. l the bearings 26 at the unloading end of the screws are so located that they do not'interfere with the unloading.

Where little treatment of the ends of the workpieces is desired, they may be fed in close formation. If fed in open formation substantially uniform spacing of the articles is maintained and the ends of the articles are not obscured and are exposed to the blastant, since the vanes contact only such parts of the flanges as are out blastant against the upper side of the work passing along the'notch between the screws. Where the diameter of the Work permits, the tops of the vanes of the screws 25 may be spaced apart .a distance greater than the width of the blast stream.

.angle of minimum effectiveness for abrading them. In addition, the screws, or desired portions of them, may be rubber-surfaced or otherwise formed to improve their resistance to the action of the blasting medium. 7

As above noted, Fig. 1 illustrates a particularly simple arrangement for delivering the treated articles from the machine. The machine may embody other delivery arrangements however, one of which is illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. In this arrangement a delivery screw 35 is positioned above the delivery ends of the conveyor screws 25 and suitably driven, preferably in timed relation thereto, as by the c-ountershaft drive A take-away means, shown as a belt conveyor 3? suitably driven, as by motor 38, reducer 38 and chain or belt-drive 40, may also be pro vided in underlying relation to the delivery platform 3H. This motor and reducer unit may also drive the screw conveyors 9a, 9b and elevator Illa for spent abrasive, if desired, as indicated at Ila, Fig. 4. With this arrangement the work-piece 2ia approaching the delivery end of the conveyor screws- 25 is picked up by the overlying screw 35 and positively advanced and delivered to the take-away belt 31, which may take the articles away at a relatively rapid rate and in rather widely spaced relation for delivery for subsequent handling or treating operations. In the form of machine indicated in Fig. 5, an alternative arrangement of blastant pan 8a is shown, comprising an inverted V-shaped baffle plate, which may be rubber-surfaced, under which the grit conveyor 9a operates. A lateral screw conveyor 9b is there employed to deliver the spent blastant to the elevator in, as is desirable when the machine is to be set as low as possible.

For purposes of simplicity, a single pair of screws 25 will usually be employed, but three or more screws may be used to convey a plurality of lines of work through the machine, as indicated in Fig. 9.

While the present invention cooperates particularly Well with airless-type centrifugal blasting machines, which project relatively narrow fan-shaped patterns of treating material, with less advantage compressed air nozzles or other forms of treating material projectors may be employed, singly or in multiple. The treatment practiced may be a peening or cleaning treatment, or a surface-finishing treatment removing or adding a coating to the work-pieces. In its broader aspects, features of the invention may be applied to machines for treating work with rust-inhibiting solutions or other coating materials, especially where the treatment is to be practiced over the entire exposed circumference, length and flanged portions of a generally transversely rollable object. The embodiments shown are therefore to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims, and all modifications and changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be included therein.

I claim: 7

1. In a machine for blast treating laterally rollable flanged articles, a blasting chamber, a pair of work supporting screws extending 1ongitudinally in said chamber, means for rotating said screws in the same direction, said screws lying substantially parallel to each other and presenting a notch or valley between the tops their vanes for supporting the laterally reliable flanged articles with the flanges thereof descending between th eirvanes for causing them to advance lengthwise of said notch as they are rotated transversely therein, means for projecting blastant downwardly in said chamber in a farm wise stream directed lon itudinally of said notch and against the upper sides of flanged articles being rolled and advanced therein, and baiiie means for confining the stream of blastant for direct impingement thereof only against the top surfaces of said articles.

2. In a machine for blast treating automotive axle .shafts having projecting flanges: a blasting chamber; a pair of work supporting and advancing screws in said blasting chamber; journal means rotatably holding said screws substantially parallel for rotation about their longitudinal axes, said screws having generally cylindrical hubs from which vane-like threads extend a distance at least far enough to receive the entire projecting portions of the flanges of said shafts, the vane-like threads of the respec-.

tive screws intermeshing to form a shaft-guiding notch between them for supporting the axle shafts, and the spaces between the turns of said threads cooperating to receive the flanges of said supported axle shafts; driving structure connected to rotate the intermeshed screws in the same direction about their respective axes for rotating the supported shafts while causing the threads of said screws to advance the shafts from a loading end to a delivery end of said notch; and blasting means positioned for projecting blastant against the shaft surfaces being presented by said shaft rotation and advancement to substantially uniformly blast all exposed portions of said shafts.

3. In a machine for blast treating automotive axle shafts having projecting flanges: a blasting chamber having inlet and outlet ends; a pair of. work supporting and advancing screws extending through said blasting chamber and out of said ends; journal means rotatably holding said screws substantially parallel for rotation about their longitudinal axes, said screws having generally cylindrical hubs from which vane-like threads extend a distance at least far enough to receive the entire projecting portions of the flanges of said shafts, the vane-like threads of the respective screw intermeshing to form a shaft-guiding notch between them for supporting the axle shafts, and the spaces between the turns of said threads cooperating to receive the flanges of said supported axle shafts; driving structure connected to rotate the intermeshed screws in the same direction about their respective axes for rotating the supported shafts while causing the threads of said screws to advance the shafts from a loading end to a delivery end of said notch; blasting means positioned for projecting blastant against the shaft surfaces being presented by said shaft rotation and advancement to substan- V tially uniformly blast all exposed portions of said shafts; and a set of deflectable blastant shielding curtains closing the ends of said blasting chamber and cooperating with said screw-vanes to prevent the escape of blastant from said chamber without interfering with the passage of said shafts through said chamber.

4. In a machine for blast tr ating automotive axle shafts having projecting flanges: a blasting chamber; a pair of work supporting and advancing screws in said blasting chamber; journal means rotatably holding said screws substantially parallel for rotation about their longitudinal axes, said screws having generally cylindrical hubs from which. vane-like threads extend a distance at least far enough to receive the entire projecting portions of the flanges of said shafts, the vanelike threads of the respective screws intermeshing to form a shaft-guiding notch between them for supporting the axle shafts, and the spaces between the turns of said threads cooperating to receive the flanges of said supported axle shafts; driving structure connected to rotate the intermeshed screws in the same direction about their respective axes for rotating the supported shafts while causing the threads of said screws to advance the shafts from a loading end to a delivery end of said notch; blasting means positioned for projecting blastant against the shaft surfaces being presented by said shaft rotation and ad vancement to substantially uniformly blast all exposed portions of said shafts; and an unloading screw adjacent the delivery end of said notch for engaging the flanges of said axle shafts and pul ing said shafts out from engagement with said supporting screws 5. In a machine for blast treating automotive axle shafts having projecting flanges: a blasting chamber; a pair of Work supporting and advancing screws in said blasting chamber; journal means rotatably holding said screws substantially parallel for rotation about their longitudinal axes, said screws having generally cylindrical hubs from which vane-like threads extend a distance at least far enough to receive the entire the vane-like threads of the respective screws intermeshing to form a shaft-guiding notch be- 'tweenthem for supporting the axle shafts, and

the spaces between the turns of said threads cooperating to receive the flanges of said supported axle shafts; driving structure connected to rotate the intermeshed screws in the same direction about their respective axes for rotating the supported shafts while causing the threads of said screw to advance the shafts from a loading end to a delivery end of said notch; and blasting means positioned for projecting blastant against the shaft surfaces being presented by said shaft rotation and advancement to substantially uniformly blast all exposed portions of said shafts, said journal means at the delivery end of said notch being immediately adjacent the ends of the respective threads and being recessed away from said notch to provide an unobstructed unloading passageway for said advancing shafts.

ROBERT B. HUYETI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hammell Apr. 18, 1939 

